My new Roubo #19: Making the sliding board jack with hand tools only

I got some time in the shop tonight and was able to get the sliding board jack made and installed.

To make the V-groove at the bottom, I first made two cuts down the center with a rip panel saw. Then I cut a 45-deg kerf from the front / back that met those first two cuts in the middle. Finally, I chopped out the middle section and pared it flat with a 1/4” chisel and cleaned up the slopes with a paring chisel.

Here’s a picture after the first 45-deg cut:

After the second 45-deg cut:

Test fitting the board jack before shaping it and boring the rows of offset holes:

I don’t have a bowsaw yet. So, to cut the curves on the sides, I first made a series of cuts down the side with a crosscut panel saw that stopped at different points in the arc. After the majority of the waste was cut out, I cleaned it up with a paring chisel (bevel-down), followed by a spokeshave, and finally a card scraper.

Yeah, I kept sweeping the floor before I’d take new pictures for my blog. :) But, it’s been raining lately, so I haven’t been able to dispose of the shaving in my burn barrel for about a week. So, this is the pile that’s hiding in the corner out of sight of all my last few blog pictures…

RG, I cut a groove in the bottom of the bench top that the “tongue” of the board jack’s rabbet slides into. The trench is 3/4” wide by 1” deep. Here’s a picture of it before I flipped the bench onto its feet.

I chopped the trench out about 1/8” deep to establish the start of the mortise walls. Then, I used a brace and 3/4” auger bit to drill out the majority of the waste and finally cleaned it up with a wide paring chisel and mortise chisel.

I’d LOVE to have a wood stove. A few of the local hardware stores sell some at good prices, but I just don’t have the time / money to tackle remodeling the shop (busting through a brick wall to run the exhaust pipe) right now.